Good afternoon, My name is Colleen DeLeo, and I am writing to express my strong support for HB839, which would allow the Judicial Council of Virginia to review court failures related to Kayden’s Law and Grace’s Law. I am reaching out because I would be honored to assist with the efforts to advance this legislation and to share my personal testimony if it would be helpful. I am a mother, an elementary education major at Regent University, a Substitute Teacher with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, and an advocate for children, families, and survivors of domestic violence, with over 10 years of experience in early childhood education. Through both my professional work and my lived experience as a survivor, I understand how court failures impact children and families and the lasting trauma these systems can create. Prior to relocating to Virginia Beach in August, I was part of a coalition in Massachusetts that helped pass the coercive control law. Through my testimony and advocacy as part of that coalition, I contributed to efforts that have helped thousands of survivors of domestic violence obtain orders of protection in Massachusetts, strengthening safety and legal accountability for victims and their children. As a direct result of that legislation—and after a two-year divorce and custody battle—I was awarded my divorce and sole legal and physical custody of my child. Those protections, alongside federal safeguards under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), were instrumental in helping me secure safety, stability, and the ability to rebuild our lives and relocate to Virginia Beach. Since moving to Virginia, my children and I have been thriving, and I am deeply grateful for the community we have found here. However, my continued advocacy work has shown me that many families are still facing similar court failures. I currently advocate for children and families navigating these systems, and I see the urgent need for accountability, review, and reform. As an educator working toward Virginia teacher licensure and as someone who has spent the past two years advocating for children and families, I strongly believe that HB839 is a necessary step to ensure children’s safety and prevent future harm. Kayden’s Law and Grace’s Law deserve careful review so that court failures are identified and addressed before more families are harmed. I will be organizing and leading an Advocacy Day on February 16 through my organization, Rooted by the Shore, and would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your staff to discuss HB839, Kayden’s Law, Grace’s Law, and how these efforts align with the intent of VAWA. I am also willing to provide testimony or additional context at any time. https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-deleo-rootedbytheshore/ Thank you for your time, your service, and your commitment to protecting children and families across the Commonwealth. I sincerely appreciate your consideration and hope to connect soon. Sincerely, Colleen DeLeo Founder Rooted By The Shore

I am a former resident of Winchester, VA. In 2010 I was abducted, assaulted, and raped which resulted in pregnancy by someone that I knew or so I thought. I pressed charges against him and he was jailed and later took a plea deal. He asked if I would let him take a plea and in turn he would not interfere with raising of the child. I was given a 2 year protective order for me and my child but that did not stop the torment. I moved with permission of the court to Texas and he followed me here. He continued abuse and threats to kill me. He eventually went back to Virginia, but maintained residency in Houston, TX. He has utilized litigation abuse and has drug me back and forth to Virginia. My son and I have not been protected on any level. My son is currently with our abuser with assistance of a system that was supposed to protect us. My case has been going on for 13+ years and the abuse caused my son PTSD as well as myself. I reached out multiple avenues for help with nothing. I would be glad to give further testimony about all of the things that have happened including a judge that I consulted with refusing to recuse himself and hearing the things I consulted with him about (how to protect my son and myself having been raped). I was told to basically play nice and it has put my family in danger. The courts have denied us due process and have violated our constitutional rights and the laws that are supposed to govern Virginia. It is truly criminal to be victims of Domestic/Family Violence then to be failed by the courts and further abused and traumatized by those who took an oath to the constitution and follow the law. We urgently need HB839 for Judicial Council of Virginia to evaluate how the courts have failed our children and us as victims of family abuse.

VOTE YES FOR HB839 and all other bills that align with Biden’s 2022 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and oppose any bills that mandate “shared parenting”, “equal parenting”, and use “parental alienation” and fail to address the gender and racial biases intentionally written into our laws. I am the founder and lead policy advisor for MRCI. The “study group” for HB839 is required by the House Subcommittee for the Courts of Justice, due to their failure to form one in 2024 for Kayden’s Law, “Keeping Children Safe from Violence”, and punt the problem to the “Family Law Coalition”, which is a severe conflict of financial interest, protect family law attorneys, future judges, GALs, custody evaluators, parent coordinators, etc. if VA adopts Kayden’s Law, it will unlock $25 million federal dollars. This study group must be composed of 49% or judges, family law attorneys, and anyone else who have conflicts of interest and profits from any component of child custody proceedings and rulings. The research data and information this Judical Council of Virginia needs already exists, so their work should be a minimal burden. Practically all laws, policies, and guidance pertaining to child abuse and domestic violence in Virginia are not in compliance with VAWA. Fairfax County is in gross violation of VAWA, despite receiving almost $16 million federal dollars from VAWA but has the LEAST number of DV and victim advocate services available to children and women, of all the regions in Virginia.

VOTE YES TO HB839. I am the protective mother of a daughter who was wrongfully removed from my custody on June 7th 2022 due to numerous false allegations of “kidnapping” by my ex-husband and due to multiple constitutional rights violations, namely due process. These kidnapping charges were eventually dismissed after 2.5 years of court-ordered torture and stalking/cyberstalking/hacking/deleting evidence from my electric devices and so much more. Both my daughter and I suffer from severe complex PTSD and dissociative seizures. Why did he do this? It’s simply due to lack of self-love, a love for others, and a moral compass. And because I am an exceptional mother by any metric and my ex-husband had minimal physical access to me after we separated, so he continued to weaponize our own daughter as revenge for me refusing to be a stay-at-home mother and refusing to allow him to control every part of me, including my own body and mind, attempted strangle/rape me, imprison us inside our own home multiple times, including forcing me to wear his clothes and shoes so I couldn’t run away, tricked me into his car, and essentially kidnapped me in the middle of the night on April 30, 2015 to the ER, and said there was a surprise inside there for me. Later he said I didn’t commit myself to a psychiatric ward and do other things he demanded, I would never see our daughter again. I was so traumatized, I seized over and over again for hours and the ER staff was unable to figure out what was wrong with me and perplexed. I was misdiagnosed me with “postpartum psychosis”, aka the Andrea Yates baby killer syndrome, because my ex lied and told them I was “manic” “off my meds”, had “postpartum depression”, and “suicidal”. Not one ER staff member asked me any questions about my medical history or took me aside privately to screen me for domestic abuse. For years, my ex threatened, manipulated, and weaponized our daughter against me. My ex-husband repeatedly told me I would never see her again if I didn’t obey him and other highly disturbing When I sought help, the courts failed us. My reports of abuse were dismissed, while I was arrested on false allegations. The result: court-ordered trauma, stolen birthdays, and a lifetime of fear and instability. This abuse is part of a documented pattern called Child and Mother Sabotage (CAMS). Research shows: • Gendered Pattern: Over 97% of cases involve fathers deliberately undermining mothers and sabotaging the mother-child relationship. • Strategic Control: Abusive fathers manipulate children, extended family, and professionals to isolate mothers, often using sexist stereotypes to paint mothers as “hysterical” or “vindictive.” • Weaponization of Children: Children are coerced to align with the abusive parent; courts sometimes honor children’s expressed “wishes” despite clear histories of abuse. • Severe Impact: Children experience loss of contact with their safe parent, trauma, and often become suicidal. Post-separation abuse is a pervasive societal problem. Studies of 48 U.S. and Canadian cases (2011–2022) show fathers use psychological, legal, and economic abuse — including weaponizing children — putting mothers and children at serious risk of trauma and deprivation of basic needs. HB 839 is about accountability. Protection from harm is not optional and only for the privileged, wealthy, white, and male. It is a basic human right for all children, all women, ALL HUMANS.

My name is lacey swift my sons name is odin swift hes 5 years old. I had sole legal and physical custody of odin for 4 years. Until his father punished me for moving on. My ex filed false reports that were proven false and used those false reports to file false paperwork for custody. Cumberland County Virginia should have only transferred my custody to chatham va since we no longer lived in Cumberland County. They didnt instead they illegal took my son in 2 hearings in 6 months without real cause. My son should be returned to my care immediately and his father and all parties involved the gal his attorney the judges involved should all be held responsible for violating my constitutional rights and my parental rights. They also should be prosecuted for perjury as both of them committed perjury. I tried to get the court hearing records and the clerks office informed me they dont keep records of hearings. There is a huge lack of accountability and it runs so deep that reporting to other agencies is a dead in . Cps in Cumberland County defended hoarding . The victims witness coordinator didnt help me . Theres no help or justice for families hurt by the judges gals and other government officials. They are supposed to uphold the laws and constitutional rights not strip them away from me. The police did not help when i finally had the courage to speak up about the things my ex had been doing to me for years. Should we all sue the countys and officials responsible because the amount of damages caused by these judges will absolutely cause the government financial collapse. And we deserve to be compensated for our pains and suffering and injustice. This is not a dictatorship but it sure does seem like its being run like one. We the people want our kids back we want accountability for the judges responsible. Thank you for your time i truely hope you hear my plea and understand that you do have the power to make things right so do it .

I am writing to express support for HB839 and to urge its advancement as a critical step toward protecting children and survivors of family abuse. I speak from both professional experience and firsthand knowledge. I have witnessed the devastating impact that domestic violence has on children as they navigate fear, instability, and trauma in environments they cannot control. Far too many children fall victim in domestic violence situations, experiencing not only physical harm but also profound psychological and emotional abuse. Many become primary or secondary victims of violence, carrying lifelong trauma that shapes their development, behavior, and future opportunities. Research confirms what advocates and survivors have long known. Most child abuse occurs within the family and is often perpetrated by a parent or caregiver. Intimate partner violence and child abuse overlap in the same families at rates between 30 and 60 percent. Children who witness intimate partner violence are approximately four times more likely to experience direct maltreatment than children who are not exposed to such violence. Alarmingly, a child’s risk of abuse often increases after a perpetrator separates from an intimate partner, even when the perpetrator has not previously directly abused the child. Through my work as a domestic violence advocate, I have seen firsthand how children are impacted. Too often, children are the ones who end up hurt. The court system, while essential, can be confusing, retraumatizing, and ill-equipped to fully recognize the dynamics of power, control, and manipulation that exist in abusive relationships. The cycle of abuse is vicious. This is why the work group proposed in HB 839 is so vital. Understanding the complex realities of family abuse and how they intersect with custody decisions is essential to meaningful reform. The bill’s focus on examining power dynamics in custody cases, the misuse of court proceedings as tools of harassment, and the perceptions and biases that influence outcomes reflects a deep and necessary awareness of the challenges survivors face. It is also critically important that judges recognize and apply the principles outlined in HB 839. Judges play a pivotal role in determining whether children remain in environments where violence and trauma persist. Children cannot control their circumstances or advocate for their own safety in the way adults can. When courts fully understand the intent of this bill and act decisively, they have the power to interrupt cycles of abuse and remove children from situations where they are being traumatized and victimized. By studying improvements such as expanded access to legal representation for survivors, mandatory judicial education on trauma and abuse, enhanced guardian ad litem training, increased accountability measures, and the potential limitation of custody for alleged abusers when credible allegations exist, HB 839 offers a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to reform. Supporting HB 839 is not merely a policy decision—it is a moral obligation. Protecting children from violence within their homes is fundamental to building safer families, stronger communities. This bill represents hope for children whose voices are often unheard and whose safety depends on the decisions made within our courts. For these reasons, I urge you to support Virginia House Bill 839 and the creation of this essential work group.

I am a 36 year old mother of 7. I have been in and out of court for the past 3 years and I’ve encountered some very dangerous and alarming behavior in this town. We have people in positions of power who are unlawfully and inhumanly taking children from good loving homes. There is no due process. There is no evidence. There is no help for us parents who have been affected. There are several key players who have been active in several different cases all needing up with the children being removed. Judge Nancie Williams is one of the worst criminals I have ever seen. Please investigate her. We as a group have so much evidence against her and we are continuously ignored. Karen Holeman GAL. Is also just as guilty of criminal activity. Please investigate her. There are no laws in place to protect families from vicious and damning allegations in jdr court. There are no cameras in court to record these heinous crimes.there is no record of what was said by who. There are no transcripts of these hearings and these people have NO ONE to answer to! Nancie Williams took my 13 and 11 year old from me on august 22,2023 and I’ve been fighting ever since. My kids where given to MY ABUSER. The gal never did a home visit. I have so much evidence and so many people to come testify to my character and Nancie Williams threw every single bit of it out and wouldn’t hear from ANYONE. The law firm Bauchbaugher and Mcquire has never lost a custody case and I was pro se for much of my trial. There where so many allegations made against me by my ex and this law firm and Nancie Williams took every single allegation to heart and punished me SEVERELY! I went from having my kids to only seeing them every other weekend from 10am to 5pm. She tried to throw me in jail for posting on Facebook about this! She even court ordered my ex and my abuser to be aloud to DRUG TEST ME AT EVERY VISIT ! He himself! Not a professional lab! There are so many red flags in my case and in the families around me! Please help us! These bills have to change! There are laws that need to be put in place to prevent this from happening. There are other laws that need abolished to prevent physical misconduct and abuse at the highest level! My family and I have been through absolute HELL because of our local government. Please help me!

This bill is absolutely necessary. As a domestic violence survivor who fled due to what was happening to my children, I’ve seen first hand how the system treats victims of coercive control. We have a 90% chance of losing custody to the abuser. In my case, I was labeled as malicious for reporting, as a mandatory reporter who faced fines and jail time for not reporting, only 4 of the hundreds of things my children told me their father did or continued to do. I ultimately got put on supervised visitation for this because I was emotional and no proof was ever looked at. The evidence and studies are clear on coercive control and domestic violence but the courts, GAL’s and CPS have no idea what is going on. He who has the most money and can remain calm (after years of abuse), wins. This in no way goes to the best interest of children and causes them further harm, which also harms the future of our Commonwealth and takes more tax dollars in the long run. Due to my extreme experience with the system, I vowed to prevent this from happening to anyone else. I am on the Parent Advisory Council for VDSS, the Family First Workgroup and various other groups to help reform the family justice system for domestic violence survivors and victims of child abuse and coercive control. I have spent time and money building relationships with legislators to help protective survivors and their children while reforming the system so that it does the job it was tasked to. I also work with children who have behavioral issues and are on the spectrum since I have the experience trying to help my children navigate through the violence and coercive control they have and are currently experiencing. In spite of this, one judge, who did not get complete information from one GAL who did not do her job, was able to label me as something I am not based solely on the word of my violent ex-husband. Something needs to change in our system and this bill is one of the best chances we have to make that change. Thank you for your time and consideration of my experience.

United Cherokee Indian deserve recognition stop playing with us .. our history speaks stop playing with us again you steady playing with us in our faces oblivious you folks need to step down from your position due to your actions ain’t working

My name George Craig and I live in Winchester,, VA. I am writing in favor of HB 8 and ask for your support and "yes" vote. It is important for Virginia to be prepared when there is an Article V convention called and to ensure the commissioner sent follow the limitation of their authority. Thank you.

Dear Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Rules Committee and Subcommittee on Studies), I'm writing to request your support for HB 839. This study is urgently needed to examine how Virginia’s juvenile and domestic relations courts handle child custody cases involving family abuse and to move Virginia toward implementation of federal law under Title VX, Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence. In October 2012, my fifteen month old son Prince was murdered by his father Joaquin Rams in Manassas, VA on his fourth unsupervised visitation. Despite the fact that several witnesses testified that Rams was abusive to both women and children, and a police officer admitted in open court that he was the sole suspect in the murder of his older son's mother (Shawn Mason) and possibly the murder of his other mother (Alma Collins), a judge gave him unsupervised visitation. While my case straddled Maryland and Virginia, Maryland has made progress on this issue in the last decade in ways that Virginia has lagged behind. After a similar working group years ago in Maryland, child protective legislation has been passed (Such as legislation to ensure judges are properly trained to handle child custody cases involving domestic violence). I urge you to consider investing in obtaining a better understanding of the civil rights crisis that our children are facing in family court. If you'd like to learn more information about the case that happened in your own backyard, I invite you to visit my website www.heramcleod.com and check out my book "Defying Silence: A Memoir of a Mother's Loss and Courage in the Face of Injustice". Link to where you can find the book is here: https://heramcleod.com/books/defying-silence/ Thank you so much for taking the time today to read a little about my story and thank you for considering putting your support behind this bill. Sincerely, Hera McLeod

I am a survivor of domestic violence, including coercive control and psychological abuse, and I share a child with my abuser. Although I left the relationship over ten years ago, the abuse did not end. It shifted into the family court system, where my child has been used as a means of control. Despite credible concerns, the focus has repeatedly been placed on the abuser’s convenience rather than my child’s safety, health, education, and emotional well being. HB 839 is critically needed to study how power dynamics, post separation abuse, and bias against protective parents affect custody outcomes in Virginia. This bill is an important step toward aligning Virginia practice with federal law under Title VX, Keeping Children Safe from Family Violence. I urge you to support HB 839 so children can be better protected in custody proceedings.